


Here You Are

by walkydeads



Series: Come Back to Me [1]
Category: Night at the Museum (Movies)
Genre: Awkward Conversations, F/M, Gen, M/M, Single Parents, Slow Build, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-06
Updated: 2015-09-06
Packaged: 2018-04-19 07:50:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4738433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/walkydeads/pseuds/walkydeads
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Directly following the events of the third movie, Larry and Ahkmenrah are reunited, leaving Larry to deal with some deeply buried feelings he thought he'd never have to reexamine. Ahk intends to come around on a regular basis from now on and seems to have a motive for this that Larry doesn't understand. Nick just wants them to stop being stubborn and admit they care for each other. But the truth is a lot more complicated than any of them can even guess.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Here You Are

Larry’s not sure of what to make of it at first, seeing the lights and hearing the music from outside the museum. He knows that must mean the tablet is back. But why now, three years after he’s given up any hope of it happening? And with whom? Surely whoever it was came back expecting Larry, and he felt like compared to the person he was when he last saw Ahkmenrah - no matter how happy and fulfilled he was now - he’d be something of a disappointment. Not to mention that McPhee probably never wanted him to show his face there again. The fact that they were celebrating without him - more importantly without letting him know they’d be there - makes him feel a little insecure.

That being said, he’s still happy that they’re reunited and alive, if only for an evening. He can be happy for them without making it about himself, he chides himself gently, and moves to keep walking when the crosswalk light changes. But he’s not more than a few steps away from the crosswalk when one of the doors swings softly open and a voice calls out to him.

“Larry?” he turns, smiling despite his slight disappointment as he sees Sacagawea peering curiously out from the doorway.

“Hey,” he replies, shoving his hands in his pockets and feigning causality, “Oh, hey! You’re um… awake. Awesome. It’s been awhile. How long have you guys had the tablet back? I hope I haven’t missed too much.”

Sacagawea frowns knowingly, letting the door close behind her as she comes outside all the way. “I’m the only one that saw you,” she says soothingly, making her way towards him, “And I slipped away. Wanted to surprise everyone else when you came back in. But it… doesn’t seem like you want to. And if that’s the case, I suppose I understand. I can go back inside, not say a word. Is that what you want?”

“No,” Larry insists before he can really think about it, “I mean, I um. Well, I don’t want to interrupt. I mean, I wasn’t really invited, so,” he can’t hide the bitterness that creeps into his tone, even if he hates himself a little for being so childish.

Her eyes fill with an almost offensive amount of sympathy and understanding as she says, quietly, “Oh, Larry. You honestly think no one wanted you here? Tilly organized this with McPhee and the curator at the British museum. McPhee didn’t mention that you were no longer here, and Tilly I guess didn’t bother to ask. It was nothing more than a miscommunication. We all have missed you! Especially the pharaoh.”

Larry’s heart pounds as he tries to keep casual. What does she know? How much does she know? He forces a half-chuckle out, and asks, “What do you mean by that?”

“You’re going to have to come in if you want an answer to that specific question,” Sacagawea smiles, nodding her head in the direction of the museum doors, “Shall we?”

“My dear!” Teddy loyally latches himself to Sacagawea’s side after bursting out of the very door she’d been indicating, placing a kiss upon her cheek, “Why have you disappeared out here, my dear? The night is still young, the party at full force…”

Larry braces himself for a lecture about courage and facing one’s responsibilities as he and Teddy lock eyes for the first time in a long time. When Larry walked away from the museum, he thought he was doing the right thing. Being brave. But faced with the reality of a vivid and alive museum once more, he can’t help but think that maybe he had just been following a lifelong instinct and running away from places that made him happy.

Instead of a lecture, though, Teddy’s eyes just crinkle at the corners and he wraps Larry in a firm hug. “Lawrence!” the man bellows, “We’ve missed you, my good man! Come in, come in! Everyone will be so happy to see you.”

Sacagawea helplessly mouths ‘sorry,’ even as she smiles, following the two of them back inside, Teddy all but shoving Larry through the doors with a death grip on his shoulders. Larry gets a moment to see the museum as it once was, thriving and bursting with life, everyone chatting excitedly as they mill about, some of them dancing to the music pumping from the museum’s sound system, Rexy and Trixie making small, slow circles around the main floor followk g a rib bone pulled by a RC car Jed and Octavius were driving.

“Everyone!” Teddy yells, his excitement enough to stop the Huns and the Cavemen in their tracks. Even Lewis and Clark stop arguing for a moment. The music even stops, “Let’s take a moment to welcome back yet another good friend!”

The response is immediate, loud cheering. Exhibits begin crowding Larry to hug him, welcome him back, ask him where he’s been, and the part of him that told himself leaving was the Right Thing To Do is utterly broken. Tears prickle at the corners of his eyes as Atilla pulls him into a hug that borders on painful, and he instinctively reaches into his pocket for a packet of Big Red as he hears the Moai call “Dum-Dum!” from across the room.

It’s only once everyone is pacified by some sort of greeting (even Dexter seems happy to see him for once) that Larry finally sees Ahkmenrah, and his breath catches in his throat. He’s standing behind his makeshift DJ booth on the landing between flights of stairs, looking absolutely floored by Larry’s reappearance. His mouth twitches in a small smile that Larry immediately and impulsively returns.

“I think you two have some catching up to do,” Sacagawea says simply, before leading Teddy off to join in on Lewis and Clark’s lively debate. Ahk’s setting up another record to play - the one he’d loved when Larry introduced him to vinyl, full of all the 60s and 70s disco hits one could tolerate - before making his way up the landing, to the much less densely packed second floor.

Larry make his way to the elevator, still trading pleasantries and occasional short conversations with various exhibits. Everyone seems to realize he’s distracted, however, and they let him be on his way with just a few moments passing. He thankfully isn’t joined by anyone on the elevator, though he has to suffer through a nearly two minute ride and an elevator music rendition of ‘Copa Cabana,’ his hands so tight on the railing that his knuckles turn white. But when the doors open, Ahkmenrah is there, and Larry can barely think of what to say, let alone will himself to move.

“Hello, Guardian of Brooklyn,” Ahkmenrah says, a slight smile curving his lips. This time, he doesn’t stutter. “It’s been quite a long time.”

After a moment, heart pounding once more, Larry just moves toward him, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close. “Hey, Ahk,” he says softly, and far more fondly than he has any right to.

Ahkmenrah’s arms come up to encircle him in return, and he holds tightly. They both do, not speaking for some time. Larry takes in the impossible warmth of him, the scent of the oils and spices he was anointed with after his death still fresh against his skin, despite the time that has passed. And he’s sure Ahk is doing the same with him. He wonders if he still smells the same. Even though he’s traded being a night-guard for teaching, he hopes that his presence has a familiarity that gives Ahk some comfort.

“I missed you,” Ahkmenrah says, and even when emotional, there’s something regal in the way he carries himself, “Those three years felt longer in many ways than the years I spent trapped inside my tomb. I’m afraid I’ve greatly inconvenienced my new host museum, even if they don’t see it that way.”

Larry takes a step back, a curious smile gracing his face. He keeps his body close, and his hands on Ahk’s shoulders, being unwilling to let go entirely, “You’re gonna have to explain,” he says, “I didn’t even know you would be here.”

Ahkmenrah’s eyes widen a bit in surprise, “I assumed you were still working here. But of course, that must have been foolish on my part. It must have been too painful, spending the night amongst silent and motionless friends, who once played and talked with you. I spent many years in my resting place feeling exactly that, I shouldn’t have expected… I wouldn’t wish that feeling on anyone else.”

“It’s okay,” Larry reassures him, giving his shoulders a gentle squeeze, “But yeah, basically. It was too… It was too hard. I said my goodbyes and I left. Tried being a teacher. I like it. I teach world history at a local high school. Nick’s school.”

A pained smile flits over Ahk’s lips as he nods, “Right. I knew working here had awakened a love for all things scholarly and historical in you. How is Nick? Is he going to university yet? Or is he still around? I feel terribly for forgetting how old he is. Will you be able to convince him to come here? The exhibit on loan from the British Museum will be here the next few weeks and I’m sure we’d all love to see him.”

“No, he graduates next year, and I’m sure he’d love to come by. He’s actually thinking about Cambridge, really wants to major in World History. I told him he has to be more specific about what he wants to study unless he wants to end up like me,” Larry laughs, self-deprecation once again taking hold as he feels himself grow ashamed for being different than what Ahkmenrah had expected.

“Well, I know from personal experience that the Egyptology department is fantastic, should you convince him to take a more focused major,” Ahk says, and the two of them share a laugh, “Would you be joining him?”

Larry shrugs in an attempt to seem non committal, “I’ve… been considering it. Don’t get me wrong, I love teaching here, but I’ve always wanted to live overseas if for nothing than the experience. Erica’s happily settled with Don, so I wouldn’t expect her to pack everything up to look after him. I know he kinda wants to just do his own thing, but I can’t really just leave him to his own devices with an ocean between us. Still have a year to set everything up, but I’ve got a year to work things out, so… Hopefully? But, uh, what’s this about inconveniencing your host museum?”

“Ah, I had actually hoped that you were distracted from that. Shall we go up to the roof to talk? It’s a bit embarrassing, really.”

“Lead the way,” Larry nods, and Ahk does.

The last time they were on the roof together, it had been a little more than three years ago, freezing, the concrete packed with a solid four inches of snow. Long before Ahkmenrah knew about his personal attachment to the moon, he often wanted to come up to the roof and quietly assess it. Usually in silence with Larry over cups of steaming hot chocolate or coffee. The last time, though, he had been so animated. 

Larry had let him borrow a spare jacket and some gloves and boots and he had stood, half in a night guard’s uniform, half in his regalia, looking for all the world like he belonged there. They had thrown snowballs at one another, more of a hint of an all-out snowball fight than an actual one, but it reminded Larry of his past, of the noisy New Jersey suburb he had grown up in. He hadn’t felt like that since.

This time, though, it’s only a little after the start of the school year, and still plenty humid, even after sundown. Ahk’s just in his robes this time, which are light and beautiful and maybe just a little too revealing if Larry’s being perfectly honest with himself. He’d almost forgotten the appeal of the pharaoh’s skin, and a part of him wishes he still could. But, in an effort to spare himself angst and self doubt, Larry refocuses on his surroundings, and how else they’ve changed over the past three years. The floor of the roof has drains and tile now, and a couple of bistro tables with chairs, as well as flood lights along the walls. There are potted plants, too, probably for ambiance when the employees take breaks or whatever. Ahk walks to one Larry thinks might be an aloe plant and runs his fingers over the leaves.

“We had these back when… well. They soothed and cured everything. My mother worried over me, and when I had been out in the sun too long she would cut up one of these leaves and mix the pulp with the water I bathed in. Sometimes, I honestly hated attending to my duties if it meant being outside all day, but now… I took all that time in the sun for granted.”

“If you miss it,” Larry says, softly, carefully, “You noticed enough of the good parts to have appreciated it when you had it.”

“I missed you,” Ahk replies emphatically, and Larry’s knees very nearly buckle.

Instead of an ancient pharaoh having to deal with some guy from Brooklyn swooning, he gestures at one of the nearby tables they and speak about anything and everything. The passage of time means little to them, both oblivious to the noise downstairs and the ever lightening color of the sky. As Larry talks about his difficulties leaving the museum, Ahk’s hand comes to rest over his, and stays there for some time.

Suddenly, McPhee bursts through the door, Tilly on his heels, and at least has the good nature to look remorseful about interrupting (or perhaps just a bit uncomfortable with a former night guard and centuries-old pharaoh holding hands) before saying, “Well, um, sun’s very nearly up and there’s a lot of cleaning to do before we open. I’m not sure about how all of this works, so perhaps we should get a jump on things?”

“We?” Larry asks, mouth twitching into a smug smirk, “I’m just a guest.”

It’s downright comical how pained McPhee looks as he struggles to humble himself, “I am, obviously, very sorry for not believing you for all those years, but. If this museum is going to come to life every night for the duration of this visit, I’d rather it be handled by people that already know what they’re doing.”

“Do you expect me to teach during the day and come here at night? I have a job now, McPhee, I can’t---”

 

“I’ll pay you double what I normally did for the duration,” McPhee interrupts, “And every time thereafter when we loan exhibits from Britain.”

“Triple,” Larry bargained, quickly winking while Ahkmenrah while McPhee wasn’t looking. Ahk smiles, and gently pulls his hand away.

“Honestly,” Tilly says quietly, “For all the work we’ve got to put in, triple sounds quite reasonable. I negotiated a raise with my boss simply on the grounds that I was taking care of three Egyptian royals, but Larry does all that and more.”

McPhee turns to glare at her.

“I’m just saying,” She shrugs, holding her hands up in placation, “Could always let the exhibits run off and tear up the museum if you prefer, although you should know if they’re not within these walls or other shadowy protection, they’ll disintegrate at sunrise, so.”

“Fine,” McPhee snaps, his voice thick with aggravation, “You have a point. Triple.”

“Wait,” Larry says, “Every time thereafter?” He turns to Ahkmenrah, “You’re coming back? Really? How often?”

“At least every few months,” Ahk replied, grinning ear-to-ear, “I can’t stay away too long.”

“Alright,” McPhee says, voice still tight, “Now that everything’s all settled, might we please make sure our exhibits are tucked away before sunrise? Please? It’s been a very… interesting day, and I’ve yet to go to bed, and I do need to be back here in a few short hours, so. Yes. Can we please get a move on?”

Larry and Ahk share a smile and Tilly tries not to laugh outright. They head back inside and all the exhibits are making their way to their assigned spots already.

“Gigantor!” Jed hails as he and the rest of the Westerners head back to their diorama, “Don’t let the pharaoh keep you all night next time! The rest of us missed you too, now.”

The rest of the exhibits, the Romans and the Huns and Christopher Columbus and the civil war guys all say their goodbyes. Sacagawea and Teddy share a moment before going their seperate ways, and Lancelot gives Larry an enthusiastic wave that Larry tries very hard not to roll his eyes at.

“See you tomorrow,” Ahkmenrah says, walking slowly towards the Egypt exhibit.

“Yeah,” Larry grins, “Tomorrow.”

He lingers in the entryway for a long time after that, after Trixie and Rexy have assumed their positions by the door and the rest of the exhibits have fallen silent again. Sunlight creeps in through the windows and McPhee ushers Larry and Tilly out, the dark circles under his eyes apparent. They go their separate ways, and Larry walks straight back to the school instead of bothering to go home. He pulled all-nighters plenty of times working at the museum, and he knows the coffee in the teacher’s breakroom will sustain him.

He does indeed make it through the day, albeit napping during his free period and giving his students an easy day of lectures and required reading as opposed to actual classwork and homework. At the final bell, he goes to find Nick, who’s last class is AP Chemistry, to tell him the good news.

That night, Larry gives Nick plenty of time to spend with all of the exhibits, opting instead to re-familiarize himself with the rules and nuances of the building after being gone for so long. Quietly, he checks the locks on all of the more dangerous exhibits, hides a spare set of keys from Dexter, gives the Moai his gum-gum and puts this week’s Smackdown on the TV in the breakroom for the Huns (and Sacagawea).

McPhee leaves around midnight, saying he needs rest and he’s quite sure the museum will be perfectly fine under Larry’s watch. Tilly’s still there, but she spends most of her time staring lovingly into Laa’s eyes and talking his ears off (although, for his part, the Neanderthal seems enraptured by her every word and more than willing to just sit there and stare at her all night).

Octavius and Jedediah spend a lot of the evening catching up with him after that, asking a bunch of questions about life outside the museum, if he likes teaching, if he’s missed them, if he’s settled down and gotten married yet (when he laughs and says no, they share a glance that he tries not to read too much into).

Around 4am, Larry makes himself another cup of coffee and heads to the roof. He doesn’t really expect Ahk to join him, but he’s not entirely surprised when he does. They just sit awhile, Ahk sipping some kind of hot tea and Larry finishing his coffee. “What brings you up here?” Larry asks at last.

“Well, I had joined in on watching Smackdown for a while with Nick, but things got a little… animated,” Ahk admits quietly, “I do miss nights like these.”

“Nick okay?” Larry asks, ashamed that it sounds like an afterthought.

Ahkmenrah nods, “More than okay, he’s very excited to see everyone again. I think he’d come to terms with never having that possibility, so he’s a little guarded, but. He’s happy. He brought me a new type of tea to try, I’m quite flattered that he remembered.”

“What is it?”

“A green tea with hibiscus and jasmine, also a bit of passion fruit. It’s quite good, very naturally sweet, but with just a hint of bitterness to it. Would you like to try some?”

Larry’s not particularly a fan of tea but he feels like it’d be rude to decline, so he shrugs, “I, uh… sure.”

He half expects Ahkmenrah to simply slide his mug across the table to him, so he’s surprised when Ahk slides his chair closer to Larry and raises the mug to his lips. Trying very hard not to panic, Larry takes a careful sip. It’s thankfully not too hot and, as Ahk said, quite good. When he says as much, Ahk lowers his mug but doesn’t scoot away. Larry’s both thankful and increasingly nervous.

“I do hope the both of you will come to London,” Ahkmenrah tells him quietly, “There’s so much more to see than what we saw last time, and we have many new wonderful exhibits. Recently, we loaned several of the medieval torture devices from the Tower of London and they’re quite fascinating. And they’ve added to the Camelot exhibit, so Lance isn’t as lonely anymore.”

“That’s… that’s good,” Larry says, very much distracted by their proximity, “I really am considering it, I know how much Nick wants to go to school over there. I want to.”

“You do? But you’ve always seemed quite happy in New York.”

“I just… I miss this, and this isn’t here anymore. I know you need to be with your family, and I appreciate you even visiting. It’s more than I bothered to hope for, but even though it’s great, it’s temporary. If being in London means I could have some version of this again, with some sense of permanency, then,” Larry looks up and there’s something in Ahkmenrah’s eyes, something Larry’s only seen a handful of times before, “Then I want to be there,” he finishes lamely, a little hypnotized.

Ahk smiles, moving even closer, his eyes still reflecting something that makes Larry’s heart race. “Why Larry,” he says, “I had no idea you cared so much for me.”

Larry scoffs, “That’s surprising, I’ve never really been good at hiding this kind of thing.”

“What kind of thing?”

This would have been a flirty thing to say, had it been said by Ahkmenrah and not Nick. Larry jumped, leaning away from the pharaoh and blushing at how uncomfortable his son looked, “I’m sorry,” Nick said, “I didn’t mean to interrupt, I just. We both have school soon, and…”

“Yeah,” Larry said, “You’re right. We should probably get everyone situated for the day and get out of here.”

He gets up without even bothering to glance behind him, and Ahkmenrah says, “Why don’t you guys go ahead, I’m sure I can take care of everything here.”

“You sure?” Nick says, fidgeting, “I mean, I just want to grab something to eat before school if we can, but I don’t want to leave you with all of the responsibility, there’s a lot of stuff to still be accounted for before sunrise.”

Ahk waves his hand dismissively, “It’s fine! They will listen to me,” his eyes widen and his face goes shadowy for a moment, “Or they will suffer the consequences.”

“Too dark,” Larry deadpans, and Ahk looks a little embarrassed.

Despite their concerns, Ahkmenrah assures them he can handle things on his own so they leave, stopping at a McDonald’s before heading to school again early. “What was that?” Nick asks, as casually as he can manage on the walk over, between bites of a McMuffin and sips of his Dr. Pepper.

“What was what?” Larry tries to be nonchalant as he munches on a breakfast bagel. He doesn’t even look at Nick, he knows doing so would give everything away.

“Between you and Ahk on the roof? You guys were a little… um…” Larry can hear the frown in Nick’s voice as his son searches for the right word, “Close?”

“I don’t know,” Larry answers honestly, “I just… we have history, I guess, and a lot of it is starting to come back at once.”

Nick scoffs, as if he doesn’t buy that all or like it’s a cop out (which to be fair, it totally is), chewing the ice from his cup as he considers what to say next. “Are you guys interested in each other?” He finally asks, apparently going for the most direct approach, “I mean like, romantically? Because it’s cool if you are. I just haven’t seen you really be with anyone since mom, and I guess that explains a lot, if you’re interested in guys.”

“I. Don’t. Know,” Larry repeats, firmly.

“Geez,” Nick snorts, stopping in his tracks and waiting for Larry to turn around and look him in the eye. “Okay, but just. Like. I don’t know. Don’t beat yourself up about it if you do like him, you know? Haven’t seen you happy with someone in… well ever, really, and I do want you to be happy. And as far as people that could potentially make you happy, you could do a lot worse. Ahk is… cool. Maybe that’s not the right word, but you get what I mean. He’s good for you.”

“Except the part where he’s thousands of years old and is only alive at night,” Larry responds dryly, “I mean… I probably should have talked to you about this sooner, but I didn’t really know what to say. But after your mom and I split up, I wasn’t really worried about replacing her or anything. I just wanted to get my life in order. But I did realize, after a while, that I just wasn’t interested in a lot of things that I felt were expected of me, and one of those things was settling down with a woman. I do… I do like men, I just. And it’s not like I didn’t love your mother, because I really did. Still do, in some ways, but I just.”

“I get it,” Nick says, holding a hand up while he takes a bite of his McMuffin, “It’s okay. I always kinda knew. You’ve known Ahk for a long time, and even when I was younger I used to notice these… looks between the two of you. And if mom’s taught me anything, it’s that if something is supposed to work out, it will. No matter how difficult it seems. She maybe couldn’t be with you, but she’s very proud of you and really wanted you to live up to your potential, or whatever. But I do know when you were working at the museum something was different about you, and she was always asking if you’d met someone special, stuff like that.”

“Was it really that obvious?” Larry asks, a little crestfallen.

“Not in a bad way,” Nick insists, tossing his trash in a nearby bin as he starts walking again, the two of them rounding the corner and coming up on the high school, “It’s like… I don’t know how you don’t notice! When you’re around him, all the stuff about you that’s good, the way you act when you’re happy. It’s amplified. I remember when we left him in England, after he thanked you, you couldn’t even look at him. You didn’t even turn back. I know it hurt. But even since he came back you’re a totally different person.”

“Hm,” Larry says thoughtfully, “Well, that sucks. I can’t live happily ever after with a pharaoh from the B.C. era.”

“Who says, though?” Nick shrugs, “Like I said. Like mom says. If you want it bad enough, you’ll figure something out. I just think it’s funny I figured that all out before you.”

Even though Larry thinks that’s an oversimplification of his current situation, he appreciates his son’s vote of confidence and his insight. “You’re a good kid, Nicky,” he says, fondly.

“I know,” Nick replies, “But please never call me that again.”


End file.
